Web Sites for Specific Audiences

Parent Sites

The term “parent” also includes grandparents, foster parents, caregivers, and guardians. These parent figures are experiencing pressures and concerns not faced by previous generations.  Despite these challenges, many are making heroic efforts in raising healthy and safe children.  Being a parent figure is one of the hardest jobs in the world.  Most parent figures want to do a good job of raising children but, unlike other jobs with special training, most parents are left to do the best they can, with what they know from their own experience (www.childhelpusa.org/abuseinfo_parents.htm).

If parent figures identify potential risks and give clear instructions to children on how to avoid such risks, children learn to avoid danger by knowing what to do in threatening situations. Talking to children about safety also increases their understanding of violence and the need for practicing safe behaviors (National PTA).

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a criminal justice site that advocates for in-home parent coaching to prevent child abuse, child neglect, and future crimes as one resource to reduce violence (www.fightcrime.org). 

New Jersey Gang Free, sponsored by the NJ Dept. of Law and Public Safety, provides a parents’ guide for preventing gangs, keeping gangs away, and sharpening parenting skills (http://www.njgangfree.org/parents.htm).

American Psychological Association (APA) offers tips to parents about assisting children experiencing trauma and disaster in What Can I Do To Help?  Guidelines for Parents of Elementary School, Middle School and High School Students (http://www.apa.org/practice/ptguidelines.html) and how they can help children and teens become or remain resilient during military deployments of parents (http://www.apahelpcenter.org/featuredtopics/).    

University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (UMDNJ), University Behavioral Health Center, Office of Prevention Services and Research offers training sessions and training kits designed for parents (e.g., Bye, Bye Bullying) to empower children to promote a violence-free culture in school (http://ubhc.umdnj.edu/OPSR/programs/index.htm).

American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provides a parent site with information on topics including bullying and appropriate Internet use.  It also explains the accurate role of the school counselor at all grade levels.  The online store sells resources to help parents obtain the tools they need to do good parenting  (http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?pl=327&sl=341&contentid=341) and (http://www.schoolcounselor.org/store_category.asp?id=48).

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers resources for parents to stop child abductions and child sexual exploitation (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=200) and stop online sexual predators (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/CampaignServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2023).

Wired Kids has a helpful parenting online guide to ensure safe surfing on the Internet  (http://www.wiredkids.org/parents/safety/index.html).

Internet Super Heroes uses 5 age-specific superheroes (e.g., X-Men, Spider Man, etc.) to educate young children about Internet safety and cyberbullying.  Resources for parents stress how to ensure online safety for children (http://www.internetsuperheroes.org/parents/index.html).

U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools provides resources and documents for parents on drug and violence prevention in schools such as Tips for Parents on Keeping Children Drug Free (http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/drugfree/index.html).

National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign focuses on parents, students, teachers, and counselors to prevent or reduce youth violence.  It offers action kits, videos, and activity books  (http://www.violencepreventionweek.org/index.html?menu=wheel&show=parents).

Wired Safety informs parents about online lingo and how to ensure the safety of youth while online (http://www.wiredsafety.org/parent.html).

Purdue Extension: Terrorism and Children offers a document for parents, Strategies for Parents and Teachers: Helping Children Handle Disaster-Related Anxiety  (http://www.ces.purdue.edu/purplewagon/WAR/MAINWar.htm).

ACT (Adults and Children Together) Against Violence is a violence prevention project that focuses on adults who raise, care for, and teach children ages 0 to 8 years.  It is designed to prevent violence by providing young children with positive role models and environments that teach nonviolent problem-solving. Its third national media campaign (including APA, along with other organizations), educates parents about the negative effects of aggression since some parents tend not to consider how their own behavior could influence children (http://www.actagainstviolence.org).

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC)’s parent site provides warning signs of violence and offers tools to manage violence (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/parents/index.asp). 

CIVITAS offers tips on improved fathering and grandparenting skills for children experiencing trauma and maltreatment (http://www.civitas.org/grandparenting.html) and (http://www.civitas.org/fathering.html).

PBS Parents offers parents age-specific insight to answer children’s challenging questions about war and violence.  The PBS Parents Online Chat and Expert Q&A answer parents' questions about how to communicate effectively with children (http://www.pbs.org/parents/issuesadvice/talkingwithkids/war/insights.html).

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services offers age-specific resources for parents and families to assist children through traumatic, violent, and disaster events (http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/index.shtml#post).

FEMA for Kids teaches children how to be prepared for various types of natural or other disasters.  It maintains resources for parents and teachers to assist children to be responsible citizens in home-, community-, and school-related disasters   (http://www.fema.gov/kids/teacher.htm).   

Narconon International offers a parent center with resources on signs and symptoms of drug abuse and tips on talking to children about drug prevention and drug education to attempt to change students’ minds from possibly trying or using drugs  (http://www.narconon.org/parent_center.htm).

Center for the Prevention of School Violence offers a creative and comprehensive “floor plan” for whole school involvement in preventing school violence, including a site for parents to empower them to participate as partners in school programs to reduce violence (http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/parent_resources.html). 

Parenthood.Com offers guidance to parents about school safety and Internet safety (http://www.parenthood.com/categorydisplay.html?IDENTIFIER=87&subcats=541&AG=&segment=home) and (http://www.parenthood.com/categorydisplay.html?IDENTIFIER=87&subcats=551&AG=&segment=home).

Kids Growth provides a site for parents about health and mental health issues, body image issues, physical development, sexuality, and child advocacy (www.kidsgrowth.com)

Advocates for Youth offers a parent site to assist them with tips on talking about sex and sex education with children, ages toddlers through young adults (http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents/index.htm). 

The Child Advocate offers disaster help for parents and addresses issues related to disaster and trauma intervention.  A booklet, Helping Children Cope After a Disaster, is available as well as how to listen to children and manage their reactions to traumatic events (http://childadvocate.net/disaster.htm).

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization.  It operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE and conducts programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims, and ensure that offenders are brought to justice.  Its What Should I Do? section addresses the question, How can I protect my child from sexual abuse?  A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety is also available in English and Spanish (http://www.rainn.org/whatshould.html).

Childhelp USA focuses efforts on prevention, research, and treatment to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children.  It sponsors the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD or 1-800-422-4453), staffed by professional counselors who provide non-judgmental emotional support to parents anonymously and offer information about appropriate management of the child's problem behaviors and understanding normal behavior at different stages of development.  It is free and open 365 days.  Communication in 140 languages is possible using 3-way conversations with the helper, the caller, and the nearest assistance (http://www.childhelpusa.org/abuseinfo_parents.htm).

Stop It Now! stops the perpetration of child sexual abuse. It sponsors the first confidential helpline (1-888-PREVENT) offering support and access to resources about preventing child abuse and inappropriate sexual behavior between adults and youth.  Its PARENTtalk newsletters, written by and for parents, offers parents an opportunity to break the isolation surrounding this issue and offers support to each other through personal stories. The newsletters also offer articles from experts (http://www.stopitnow.com/parentalk/index.html). 

Cyberbullying mobilizes educators, parents, and students to combat online social cruelty. It offers a Parents’ Guide to Cyberbullying and a teen site is “under construction” (http://www.cyberbully.org/).

Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) offers a family strengthening program that uses group interaction, activities, and skills practice to engage parents and children ages 10-14 in order to foster positive family functioning (http://www.great-online.org/greatfamiliestraining.htm).

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC) offers resources for parents, professionals, and youth working to prevent violence committed by and against youth.  It functions as a comprehensive access for information and materials about programs, publications, fact sheets, and research to prevent violence and suicide among youth.  Its site for parents includes responding to warning signs, parents’ role in preventing their children from participating in gangs, and managing anger (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/parents/index.asp).

Cyber Tip Line offers assistance to parents and guardians to help protect children from child exploitation and abduction and to promote Internet safety (http://www.cybertipline.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=200).

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” project provides a parent site with age-appropriate online activities to nurture tolerance.  It also recommends tolerance books for parents (http://www.tolerance.org/parents/index.jsp).

Anti-Defamation League offers resources to assist parents in discussing hate, prejudice, and violence with children, including A Parent Guide to Hate on the Internet (http://www.adl.org/issue_education/Hate_and_violence.asp).  Parent resources are also available in Spanish (http://www.adl.org/what_to_tell/sp_whattotell_intro.asp).

Gangs or Us, a gang identification site, provides assistance and knowledge to parents to determine if street gangs are in the community.  The parent/teacher site offers free resources on awareness strategies, school violence, a parent resource guide, and refusing gang membership as well as hotline information.  Information on gang clothing, graffiti, initiations, and hand signs as well as recruitment of girls into gangs is available in books, manuals, and videos (http://www.gangsorus.com/parents.html).